


Until the Morning Comes Around

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: I Must Be Good For Something [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alec licks a window, Because His Heart Stops, Biology tools are used to impale a hand, Bullying, But only this part, Forgiveness, Harassment, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It takes place off-screen, Laundromats, M/M, Mentions of Theo's time in Hell, Mentions of temporary death, Mild Police Brutality, Oh look more Theo angst, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Scalpels are used to stabby stab someone, Skittles are mentioned, The McCall Pack gets McCalled, The Pack Moms are amazing, The Pack Parents Unite, The synopsis kind of sucks i apologise, and i apologise for any feelings you may catch, and the grace is going to help, but it's important because Theo has self-worth issues, but this has some comfort, but you won't like how it is, let me know if i had, lots of flashbacks, no editing we die like wizards played by first-timers to dnd, ok i'll add more if i missed them, scalpels, self-harm scars, some religious themes, stabbings, temporary major character death, the idea of grace is brought up, the manuscript was 22 or so pages in Word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23670346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: With Theo still in the ICU, the McCall Pack are forced to face the reality that he could have died due to their actions. The fight that caused Theo to bolt and three pieces of footage make an appearance. While the adults discuss what to do, some more drama happens and it becomes painfully clear Theo just cannot catch a break.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, because that's coming next part, but not - Relationship
Series: I Must Be Good For Something [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701694
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89





	Until the Morning Comes Around

**Author's Note:**

> On an unrelated note to this, I have to plan out how to get a binder to my friend for their birthday when we’re on quarantine. Which would be easy, considering we have three drivers in the family (none of whom are me), but my dad wasn’t happy when I revealed that I got my friend a binder, my mom laughed in my face when I suggested I was nonbinary a while ago, and my brother has grouped LGBTQ+ folk together with paedophiles before. So far, what I have is putting said binder between two canvases because friend likes to paint and draw, putting that in a birthday gift bag, and asking my brother to drive me because he’s the only one who doesn’t know said friend is getting a binder from me. Sound like a good plan?  
> On a story related note, the TWs are in the tags. Series and fic titles are from Barns Courtney’s song “Sinners”. Still not a fan of Malia and Stiles—I still think they (and several other members of the Pack) can go suck Stiles’ Jeep’s tailpipe—but I might be starting to warm u to them. Features David and Jenna Geyer/Geyer-Dunbar (both are used with Jenna, so…sorry in advance), Jordan Parrish, Chris Argent, Noah Stilinski, and Melissa McCall as the adults. The full Pack (including Theo) would be Theo, Liam, Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Derek, Isaac, Corey, Mason, Alec, and Malia. Also, I did not come up with the term ‘abused, brainwashed teenager’, someone else on here did and I’d credit them but I’ve read so many fanfictions over the past three days I honestly can’t remember which one of them it is.  
> Now, into the fray!

It was 4:42 in the morning, and the adults were gathered around Theo’s bedside.

It had been a little over a week since they had almost lost him. It had taken multiple surgeries since then to keep him stable, and although he was doing better, it wasn’t by much. His body was too weak to breathe on its own, seeing as he still had the endotracheal tube down his throat and he hadn’t even stirred.

As Melissa McCall ran her fingers through Theo’s hair, she reminded herself of a few things. For starters, she and the other adults (David and Jenna Geyer, Jordan Parrish, Chris Argent, and Sheriff Noah Stilinski, not the “adults” of the McCall Pack who were barely in college) needed to go easy on the kids. They may have gotten Theo into the situation he was in, but they hadn’t been holding the guns.

Although they _had_ sent him to Hell, which was _why_ she needed to remind herself to be calm.

Yes, the Theo Raeken of the past was undeniably a bad person. But when Melissa looked at him (especially now), she didn’t see her son’s temporary killer. She saw the frail little boy who had consistently shown up at the hospital with broken bones and knuckle-shaped bruises from “falling down the stairs” or some other accident. She saw the little boy whose family life was a disaster but he didn’t realise it, who followed Scott and Stiles around like a lost puppy. She saw an abused, brainwashed teenager and realised that any one of the Pack could very easily have become him. She saw someone who was trying to be better and trying to play by the rules, only to have the finish line moved every time.

But most importantly, she did not see someone who deserved to go to Hell.

Which was why she had such an issue with the Pack. They did not get to make that choice, but they had. And even if things had tuned out “okay”, that did not and would not excuse their actions. Not in the past. Certainly not now.

She couldn’t even tell if she was furious or simply disappointed.

Whatever happened to Theo in Hell, it certainly had taken its toll. She hadn’t missed the various little scars on his wrists or collarbones the last time she’d seen him. What she hadn’t expected was to find more littering his stomach, his hips, even his shoulders. Some were years old. Others were much more fresh, and she had a dreadful feeling she knew why some were there.

“You know,” Parrish began, snapping her from her thoughts and catching everyone’s attention, “we should really figure out what to do with them.” They had ensured the room was Pack-free. It was pretty easy, actually. After all, Sheriff Stilinski and Parrish had handcuffed the ack o the chairs in the conference room. If any one of them even _tried_ to escape, they would have to face the wrath of Jenna Geyer-Dunbar and Melissa McCall.

She’d say they weren’t that stupid, but she knew that wasn’t true.

“Let’s have them stew. We have more important people to discuss.” Noah mused, indicating where Theo was. “Like what to do when he wakes up.”

Thankfully (especially for Malia and Stiles), it _was_ a ‘when’ and not an ‘if’. After the first three days (which included said multiple surgeries, shock from an infection that had somehow gone from non-existent to life-threatening, and wolfsbane poisoning of the tenth degree because these hunters were weasel-faced _cockroaches_ ), his vitals had steadied out for long enough that Deaton announced he’d be alright. They had told Alec, and considering the cheering they’d heard on the baby monitor that night about three hours later, he had told the rest of the Pack like he was supposed to. While the Pack was currently handcuffed to the conference room chairs, they hadn’t been originally. Actually, they had been confined to the room for their own safety, as several nurses who’d heard the story would have chastised them to high heaven had they been caught in the hallways. Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons were probably the top three reasons no one had died yet. For now, while the adults talked, the Pack was suffering with only each other for distraction. (Derek was _not_ happy about being trapped in a room with nine hormonal teenagers, understandably).

“Well, I can’t house him at my place.” Parrish began awkwardly.

“We weren’t thinking about you, no offence. You don’t have any parenting experience. You don’t even have a pet.” David pointed out, and Parrish shrugged.

“You’re not wrong. Also, I killed a fake Christmas tree once, so there’s a good reason _why_ I haven’t gotten one.”

Somehow, they didn’t stay distracted by _that_ for more than ten seconds. Noah cleared his throat. “I don’t think my house would be good for him, either. Not even concerning the footage—those three were sacked the second I walked inside, so it’s not like they should show up anytime soon. Mostly because he needs someone less drill sergeant around him. And then, of course, there’s Stiles.”

“Which leaves my place and yours.” Melissa looked to Jenna and David. “I think we should let him decide. He’ll know what he needs…hopefully.”

Chris, who hadn’t spoken much (obviously Theo wouldn’t go with him; Chris admitted to knowing the chimera was at least slightly afraid of him, and that he wasn’t ready to try parenting again), looked up from his phone where he was watching the Pack. “So what are we going to do about the others?”

“Well, Liam and Derek were gone when Theo was chased off. I know it’s not much to go on, but I think we all know Liam wouldn’t hurt Theo on purpose.” Jenna said, touching Theo’s shoulder. Even unconscious, he flinched at the touch. “Derek would have been honest about knowing, too.”

“Lydia has a bit of a soft spot for him, somehow. Alec’s been feeding off what the others think of Theo,” Chris paused, then added, “I think he’s just trying to get the Pack to approve of him. I don’t think he actually knew what Malia and Stiles would try.”

“Oh, he _definitely_ didn’t.” Noah mused with a snort. “When I was questioning him, he broke down sobbing and got all embarrassed about crying before spilling everything.”

“About what happened?”

“About his life story. From how long he sucked his thumb to stealing three Skittles in the first grade and turning off his teacher’s projector because he was mad at her.”

Taking a deep breath, Melissa glanced at Theo. He looked tiny, and the blue tube taped to his face (matching the other catheters in his body) didn’t help him look like he was any less in death’s door. “I think we should show them the X-rays.” She finally began, “And the footage, too. Even Liam, Alec, Derek, and Lydia. It may not be how Theo wants them to find out, but whether anyone likes it or not they need to know.”

Theo let out a whimper on the bed.

As they all stared at him, concerned, he shifted a little bit. A shaky, clumsy hand moved from lying across his stomach to batting at his throat. David sighed in relief. “Is he alright?” Chris asked as the other man pulled an oxygen tank with a mask already attached over to the side of the bed. Melissa helped remove the tube and moved the ventilator aside as David strapped the mask to Theo’s face

“He’s breathing on is own now. He should be going back to sleep pretty soon—the tube was what woke him up.” Even as she spoke, Melissa could see Theo settling back into unconsciousness. Turning to Jenna, she asked, “Do you mind staying with him while we tell the others? Just in case he wakes up?”

“Of course.” With a soft smile, Jenna ran her fingers through Theo’s hair like Melissa had done. Meanwhile, Melissa turned to the men.

“Alright, boys, let’s go storm the castle.”

~

_He hadn’t even done anything wrong._

_Theo was sitting on the bench in the laundromat, on his phone texting Lydia. It was two p.m. on a Tuesday, so there were only three other people besides him and the owner, a nice Asian lady named Olivia Karamitsos. They had chatted before. Apparently, she had once gone to a David Bowie concert and been the only Asian girl in the front row. He sang to her, some song that Theo didn’t remember the name of, and she remarked that she “didn’t dare tell him” that she wasn’t Chinese. He didn’t know the other three customers—the moment they had seen him, they had turned and vanished into the other aisles._

_So there he was, texting Lydia about college, waiting for his laundry to wrap up with his guard abandoned at the door._

_He didn’t hear the guy behind him until the wire had been wrapped around his neck._

_“Hello, Mr Raeken. Nice to see you again.” A voice spat, and Theo clawed at his skin as the wire cut deeper. His wrist got caught, and he let out a choking noise as his phone fell to the tiles. “Shut up!”_

_The next thing he knew, he was on the tiles and steel-toed boots were colliding with his ribs. Ms Karamitsos screamed when she realised what was happening, and Theo thought he saw the guy pull out a gun._

No not her focus on me. _Lunging forwards, he bits down on the man’s leg in the soft spot under his knee, earning him a gun barrel to his nose. Something cracked and he fell back, blood dripping from his broken nose. Then the man was on him again, hitting him with gun and fist ruthlessly. The wire tightened, black spots dancing in Theo’s red-tinged vision as he struggled to breathe._

_There was a solid_ clang _, and the man hit the ground hard._

_Theo wasn’t sure what happened next. One second, there was a knife at his throat and people were shouting and blood and detergent cloyed the air as he was put in a headlock and his neck squeezed. The next, he was lying on the ground and someone was holding his head and neck still as his body spasmed, the knife and wire gone. Officer Tanielu leaned over him, worry written on her dark features. Her partner, Perry, was checking on his attacker._

_“Is he—" Theo trailed off with a hoarse cough—he sounded awful. When he tried sitting up, Tanielu gently pressed him to the ground._

_“Don’t move, don’t move. He’s alive—just unconscious. Ms Karamitsos hit him with the fire extinguisher after calling us.”_

_“Did he hurt—”_

_“No, just you. Just—just stay down, Theo. Everything will be okay.” He nodded, and she sat back on her heels._

_As he counted the panels of the ceiling above, he tried to wrap his head around the fact he had been attacked._

~

Understandably, the Pack was more than a little upset after seeing the footage.

Malia still was annoyed at having been handcuffed to a chair for several hours, as she glared at Noah, Jordan, and Chris whenever the men did so much as breathe. In contrast, Derek was remarkably calm (although the fact he was seated next to his feral cousin might have been affecting that). Corey, Mason, Liam, Alec, and even Lydia were silent. Stiles was staring at the floor. Isaac was staring at the TV, rage in his eyes. While Scott was doing the same, he seemed to be thinking.

“Why would you show us that?” Mason finally asked, looking at Noah.

“Because you don’t seem to understand what Theo’s gone through. Not just you individually—the whole Pack.” Melissa replied. “We did our research. By the time Theo’s family left Beacon Hills, he’d visited the hospital for various kinds of injuries excused as ‘accidents’.”

“Isn’t it somewhat illegal to tell that to non-family?” Corey asked, not meeting her gaze.

“You’re his Pack, and whether you like it or not, that means you’re the only family he’s got.” Melissa replied, noticing several Pack members flinch at her tone. “Theo didn’t kill his parents. His father murdered his mother and died in the state penitentiary six years ago. Since Theo got back from Hell—which counts as illegal imprisonment, voluntary manslaughter, _and_ first degree murder, since he died there and you planned it—he’s been living in his truck. On top of the injuries he received from the hunters, his slow healing comes from malnourishment, sleep deprivation, dehydration, and being underweight by twenty-five pounds he cannot afford to lose. I’m willing to bet several of you knew that, yet you made the situation worse. You have verbally and even physically harassed and abused him. You helped Kira put him in Hell, which also makes you accomplices to first degree murder. Some of you have attacked him multiple times—which is aggravated assault, assault, GBH, and ABH. Some of you have threatened or even attempted to kill him, which is attempted murder on top of that.”

“What if he deserved it?” Malia snapped, and Melissa shot her a look that actually made the werecoyote cower.

“Then that means you do, too. It’s not your decision whether or not someone gets to live or die. Any one of you could have become like him had the Dread Doctors had their way with you. I’m not saying his past excuses his actions, but it explains them. But what justification do you have for your behaviour? How could any of you trust Malia knowing her parentage? How can you trust Liam with his IED, or Corey? He was made by the Dread Doctors, too—how do you know he’s not still with them?” Silence passed over the room, and Melissa sighed. “We can’t change the past. We’re showing you all of this because your duty as a Pack, to your Pack and to each other, is to protect and build one another up. Unfortunately, all you’ve done for Theo—most of you, at least—is tear him down. David, next slide, please.”

“This is a PowerPoint?” She shot a glare at Stiles, but the tone wasn’t sarcastic. She wasn’t sure _what_ it was, honestly—maybe guilt or sadness.

“Whatever abomination the hunters used, it was dangerous. Theo has suffered a lot of injuries for three hunters and a metal monster. Skull fractures, a shattered right arm—”

“Like his whole arm?” Alec asked, paling when she nodded.

“—severe internal bleeding, flail chest—”

David stepped in. “That would mean parts of his ribs have separated from his rib cage and act the opposite of what the others are. Pressing in when he inhales, out when he exhales. It’s fairly common for people being treated for broken ribs to have, so don’t worry too much.”

“Yes, he’ll be fine, but you need to be gentle with him over the next several months. There was minor spinal bruising, and the bones in his legs have been shattered in multiple areas. He will be able to walk, but for the time being he’ll need the help of braces. He should make a full recovery.”

“Do you know when he’ll wake up?”

Liam was the one who spoke. David cleared his throat. “Not the exact time, but he was breathing on his own again this morning. He’s still on oxygen, and he still has the catheters, but for someone with a collapsed lung and a punctured one, that’s not bad for a week’s healing. Thanks to Deaton, the wolfsbane poisoning and the infection are gone, and there haven’t been any adverse signs yet.”

Nodding, Liam went silent, and Melissa cleared her throat. “Like I said, you’re going to have to help him. I doubt many of you care about my opinion, but after your behaviour as of late and finding out you sent someone to Hell, I can’t say it’s very high about any of you right now. But you are Theo’s Pack, and he needs you.” Holding her son’s gaze, she finished, “So what are you going to do?”

~

_The last thing he had expected for school that day was for Malia to threaten him in the bio classroom._

_As he held her gaze with wide eyes, she drove the scalpel further into his hand. “Mal—Malia, what are you doing?” He asked, glancing down at the knife. Sure, they hadn’t gotten along in the past and he knew she hated him. But stabbing him seemed a little over-the-top for her. Especially at school._

_She growled at him, and he flinched away. Without meaning to, he widened the hole in the back of his hand. A cry escaped his lips. “Don’t play nice, Raeken. You still belong down there—you and I both know it.”_

_“And I won’t argue with you on that, but it would be really nice if we could—_ ah—” _She twisted the knife, and he grabbed the side of the desk with his free hand. Eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted, he forced out, “Malia—there’s a nicer way—to have this conversation. Somewhere—you won’t get in trouble—due to cameras—”_

_“Let them see. You’re a threat, Raeken. Don’t think that you’ve fooled me with this whole ‘I’m sorry, I’m a new person’ act. I’m not dumb.”_

_“Obviously not, you drove the scalpel right between two tendons.” Gasping, he stared at the silvery blade with burning eyes. “And you pinned me to a corkboard covered in marker stains, so no one will notice and Mrs Walker will just throw it out.”_

_She grabbed him by the hair and slammed him against the table, face pressed into the black surface. “Shut up. You better listen to me, Raeken. If you hurt my Pack, I_ will _destroy you. Understand?”_

_As if to emphasize, she slammed Theo’s head against the table. When she asked the question, he swallowed and forced out, “I understand.”_

_“Good. Because if you didn’t, I’d put you back in the ground where you belonged the hard way.” She shoved him against the table, forcing the edge painfully into his lower ribs and diaphragm, then left with a slam of the door. For a few moments, he listened to her footsteps fading, then gritted his teeth and yanked his hand from the corkboard with the scalpel still there._

_When he staggered into the nurses’ office, blood dripping from his hand, Mrs Lysa and Mrs Ellie Rosa de Luna looked up with horror. “Theo! What happened?” As Lysa guided him to the nearest seat, her wife grabbed the closest first aid kit._

_Smiling innocently up at them, he weakly replied, “An accident in Mrs Walker’s room.”_

~

Liam didn’t think he’d ever prayed so much in his life as he had in the past week.

If he told Theo that, the chimera would have laughed and said he wasn’t worth praying for. He wouldn’t have pointed out to Liam that he was an atheist. Now, if Mason or Corey had done such a thing, he absolutely would have.

As he watched Theo’s chest rise and fall, near-silent breaths fogging up his oxygen mask, Liam found himself wishing Theo was around. Even if he was making fun of Liam…at least he would have been around. He would have been talking and cracking jokes and getting into fights with the others. But he would have been there.

Liam was just grateful Theo hadn’t nearly died another way.

Taking Theo’s hand in his, he found himself tracing the bandages and scars on his wrist. Liam wasn’t dumb—he knew how scars like that were made. His mother had them, a way that the sperm-donating worm of a man who had abused them both would never leave her. Hers were years old, as were some of Theo’s.

Others were as fresh as a week ago.

“I’m sorry, Theo. I should have tried harder.” He whispered, looking at his friend’s face. No, Theo wasn’t a friend, he was something more than that. Liam couldn’t put words to it, though. Not quite.

“We all should have.” He glanced up to see Stiles in the doorway. Running a hand through his hair, he went and sat on the opposite side of Theo’s bed. “It’s my fault he’s this bad. If I—I was so _blind_ —”

“He killed Scott, Stiles. You were worried about what he could do.” Liam pointed out, and Stiles looked down at Theo. The chimera stubbornly remained unconscious.

“You saw that footage, Liam. He didn’t even do anything wrong.” Snorting, he shook his head. “As if he’d drive recklessly. That truck is the only thing he’s got—it’s not like the rest of us welcomed him into the Pack meetings, let alone our houses. Whenever he came, we acted— _I_ acted like Old Theo.”

Liam couldn’t think of anything to reply to that.

~

_Stiles glanced up from the book he was reading as Officers Wilkes, Johnson, and Boothe entered. Boothe was in the lead, already swinging the cell keys around her finger. “Hey, Stiles. Look who the cops dragged in.” The blonde nodded over her shoulder and Stiles glanced at the criminal._

_Theo Raeken._

_“Huh. I knew he’d be in here one day.” The chimera flinched at that, and Stiles grinned. So the beast_ did _have feelings. Ducking his head, Stiles met Theo’s gaze. “Hey, big bad, what’s up? Hell got your tongue?”_

_Theo looked away as the officers dragged him towards the cells. Closing his book, Stiles followed. He couldn’t_ wait _to see the great_ Theo Raeken _put in his place. Wilkes jerked the young man’s arms as he uncuffed one wrist. “Come_ on _, birdie. Can’t have you fly away, can we?”_

_“What did you get him for? Armed robbery? Murder? Double homicide and witchcraft?”_

_“You think so highly of me, don’t you?” Theo asked, voice grating and rough. The left side of his face was covered in scrapes, dried blood, and gravel that kept them from healing. When Johnson made a gesture, the chimera flinched._

_“Who’s the one with handcuffs again?”_

_“We got him for reckless driving.” Boothe explained, and Theo stared at her like she had murdered his family. “Oh, got something to say?” When he looked away, face flushed, she continued, “Oh,_ and _for stealing and avoiding arrest.”_

_“He attacked Buster! The poor thing’s traumatized!” Johnson added, grabbing the door. Instead of shoving Theo into the cell, however, they threaded the hand cuffs through the gap above the doorframe and locked his wrists together that way._

_“I think we should teach him a lesson. Can’t have a wild animal roaming Beacon Hills.” Wilkes grinned wickedly at Theo, “Hey, Stiles, mind grabbing the billy stick?”_

_All Stiles could do when Theo stared at him, horrified, was grin and head to the back room._

~

_The second Liam and Derek left, Stiles and Malia were on the pariah of the McCall Pack._

_“So, Theo, planning on going on a vacation this summer?” Stiles asked, sidling up next to him on the McCalls’ couch. Theo glanced at him, confused as to why they were on speaking terms all of a sudden._

_“I—I don’t know.” When Malia slumped down on his other side, kicking her feet up on the coffee table, he only looked more uncomfortable. “What—what about you guys?”_

_“Oh, I’m going back to Virginia. I think I know the_ perfect _place for you.” When Theo glanced at him, Stiles continued, “It’s very, uh, nice there. Some people would call it horrible, though I’d say it’s a little…hole-in-the-ground.”_

_The weird half-smile Stiles thought might actually be_ hopeful _fell from Theo’s face a little. “And where is this place, exactly?”_

_“Hell.”_

_Theo’s face fell even more, and Stiles and Malia both laughed as he ducked his head. “Oh my gosh, Stiles, I don’t think I—did you see his face?” Malia asked, and Stiles grinned. When Theo got up, mumbling something about wanting water, Malia grabbed his wrist. “Aw, don’t go yet, Theo. You’ll hurt our feelings.”_

_Theo said nothing, pulling his arm from her grip and ducking into the kitchen._

_Stiles and Malia followed, the former slinging an arm around Theo’s shoulders as the chimera picked up a red apple. Grabbing it from his hand, Stiles rubbed it off on the chimera’s shirt. “Come_ on _, Theo,” taking a bite, he added, “we’re just having a little fun.”_

_Theo ducked out from under his arm. “Please stop, both of you. Only for a few hours—just leave me alone.”_

_“Theo, quit being rude.” Scott snapped from the dining room table where he was with the others. Theo winced, then looked at Corey and Mason and Lydia. They were chatting on the other side of the room about something, maybe even talking with Liam. Either way, they weren’t helping. Isaac and Alec were on Scott’s side, obviously. “They’re just having some Pack fun. What’s wrong with that?”_

_Theo flinched, and Malia scoffed, whispering, “Aw, does the baby not like being reminded he’s not Pack?”_

_“I think we should text Liam.” Pulling out his phone, Stiles voiced, “Hey, L, where did you hide that sword again?”_

_Theo’s face paled, and Malia backed him into a corner in the kitchen. “Nah, don’t bother Theo’s boyfriend.”_

_“We—we’re not dating.” Theo reached for another apple, trying to find some sort of way to get out of the conversation. Snatching his wrist, Malia twisted it to the side._

_“You’re not even Pack. We should just put you back into the ground.  
The only reason we’re not is because Liam thinks you’re pathetic. Just like your little crush on him.”_

_His eyes widened. “That—that’s not true!”_

_At his outburst, Lydia and Corey and Mason looked up from their conversation. Panting, Theo stared up at Malia with wide eyes. “Aw, I think it is.” Grabbing a knife off the nearby counter, she kept a vice-like grip on his other arm. “Little Theo Raeken has a crush on Scott’s first-bitten beta. Do you_ really _think he’d fall for you? You’re a psychopath.” She gestured to him with the knife, still holding his wrist. “We should put you down like the mutt you are.”_

_Teasingly, she cut a tiny little line along his cheek._

_On instinct, he shoved her. “Theo!” Corey stepped towards him, but the Dread Doctors’ first monster had already brushed past Stiles and was out the door. Malia followed him._

_“Yeah, go on and run! Get out of here!” Malia yelled some more insults, laughing as Theo sprinted away. Inside, meanwhile, Corey and Mason stared at Stiles like_ he _was the one to murder Scott. Lydia was already on her phone, texting someone (possibly Derek or Liam)._

_“What?” Taking another bite of the apple, he tossed the mostly-uneaten thing in the garbage where it hit the bottom of the can with a solid_ thunk _. Theo had touched it—who knew what diseases that_ monster _carried? “We were just having a little fun. He’ll be fine.”_

_And if he wasn’t, well, who cared?_

_It was only Theo._

~

Around two thirty in the morning, Theo started writhing in bed.

“What’s wrong with him now?” Malia grumbled, sitting up. The second he was on his feet, Liam was at the chimera’s side. A thin sheen of sweat coated Theo’s face, and his mouth opened and closed behind the oxygen mask as he gasped for air. They had cuffed him to the bed after an incident earlier in the night where he slept-walked right into a glass door and then almost out an open window. Now, he was pulling at the cuffs, face twisted in pain.

“Theo? Hey, Theo, you’re okay. Can you hear me?” Theo turned his head away with another whimper. More pained whines and worried gasps escaped his mouth and he let out a heart-wrenching sob, eyes squeezed shut. “Theo, you need to wake up! Theo!”

Yanking at the handcuffs, Theo let out a cry. “I think…I think he’s having a night terror.” Derek offered as the Pack fell silent. “He probably won’t remember it when he wakes up.” When Liam reached for Theo, the other wolf added, “Liam, stop. He’s not going to wake up. It’s not a good idea to try.”

Liam whipped around and fixed him with a glare. “So you just expect us to watch him _suffer?”_

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “Waking him up, if even possible, will only stress him out more. If something happens, your dad and Mrs McCall will be here immediately.”

Liam looked back at Theo, who was writhing still. After a second, he actually _screamed._ It wasn’t with words, just the pure primal, roaring howl of pain and fear. “What can we do, then?” He choked out quietly.

Derek did not answer.

“Tara—” The name was short and worried, fear echoing in Theo’s voice. Another worried cry tore from his mouth, muffled by the mask. “No—please—” Another pained scream ripped through the air and Liam sat by Theo’s side. Gently, he pulled him into his arms, pressing his chest to Theo’s back and cradling him close. “Tara—no— _Tara!_ No, please!”

He wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, the whole Pack silent. All Liam could do was hold him and whisper, “You’re alright, Theo, you’re okay,” into deafened ears. He only had one guess where the nightmares came from: Hell.

The Pack had done this to him.

Theo choked out something along the lines of, “It’s okay, you don’t have to stop.” His voice was hoarse from screaming. The EKG spiked. His heartbeat stuttered, and he went stiff in Liam’s grip. In a pained, choked voice, he forced out a name like it was edged with thorns. “Liam?”

The too-fast EKG stuttered again.

Then again.

And then it let out a long, dreadful, unending whine.

~

“Theeeeoooo…”

_No, he couldn’t—he couldn’t be back. Not here. Anywhere but here—he couldn’t face this. He couldn’t face_ her.

_Except he was he had died and now she was going to find him and rip his heart out again._

_He turned around the corner and ~~his heart~~ her heart dropped to his feet. There she was, head tilted to the side and hair a tangled matt of blood and ice. Blood dripped from the gaping hole in her chest where her ribs and heart had once been. Black river water pooled at her feet, dripping from her hands. “Tara…” Weakly, he raised his hands to defend himself._

_She opened her mouth, more river water flooding from the gaping maw in black, bloody waves._ “Theeeoooo…” _As she advanced, he retreated. Then he was backed into a wall with no escape. She held something out in her hand—a red apple that was too bright to be real._ “You did this to me.”

_“I know, I’m sorry.” He choked out, pressed against the wall. Suddenly, she was right in front of him, but her eyes glowed blue like Malia’s. For a moment, she regarded him. “I’m sorry, Tara. You—you don’t need to forgive me.”_

_She drove her icy hand into his chest to claim what was hers._

_The process repeated itself again._

_And again._

_And again._

_Time after time, he ran. Time after time, she pursued. The methods changed, but the end result was always the same. No matter how much he screamed or begged, in the end she took back what was hers to begin with without fail._

_After the thirty-ninth time, he woke up strapped to an operating table._

_Tara stood over him with a scalpel in hand. Grinning behind the mask, she plunged it into his wrist and pinned him to a corkboard._ “Remember _this_ , Theo? You stole my heart.”

_Whimpering, he fought against the restraints, screamed and begged like before. Dimly, he knew this was a dream. She wasn’t alive, she’d never been there. The rest of him, however, vividly relived the feeling of being torn open, bones broken and rebroken and rebroken, ribs torn from his back with a bladed whip to make them regrow. Hundreds of anaesthetic-lacking surgeries and torture weapons and experiments to discover what made him succeed. To find new ways for the new chimeras to be improved where the last ones had been failures. Some of it was for money. Who cared where the organs came from if the original owner could just regrow them?_

_Some of those other chimeras had_ his _DNA in them._

_His blood or his lung or part of his liver. The Dread Doctors knew he was a success. Still, his hell of many years was nothing compared to the real thing._

_This time, the operation was long and drawn out and a thousand times more painful. Tara screamed and laughed maniacally as she worked. Gasping, he met her gaze, choking out, “It’s okay, Tara. It’s okay. You don’t—you don’t have to stop.”_

_She met his gaze as something tightened in his chest. Leaning close, she whispered,_ “Oh, I’m not going to. Actually, I brought some help.” _She looked to the side as someone else pulled their mask off. Tara’s heart dropped in Theo’s chest again._

_“L-Liam?”_

_The tightness increased, and the world dissolved into fiery, burning pain. Back arching off the table, he screamed. It hurt. The world hurt. He wanted it to end someone had to—_

_“Theo.”_

_Above him, Tara cackled, eyes glowing blue._

“Theo.”

_Her fingers dug into his chest, twisting and latching around her heart and—_

“THEODORE AXEL NOAH RAEKEN, LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW.”

_Warm hands cupped his face and the pain disappeared. When Theo cracked open his eyes, he found a very familiar face. “T-Tara?”_

_She slapped him on the shoulder, took his hand, and helped him off the table. “No, it’s Judge Judy. Of course it’s me, you lovable idiot.”_

_He took her in—she looked like she was twenty-one, with tanned skin and long hair down to her waist. She was bright-eyed and healthy, wrapped in a dress so white it looked like someone had used all the bleach in the universe. “But—but you_ died. _I-I killed you.”_

_She slapped him again—this time on the face._

_For a second, he stared at her, touching his cheek where it stung. She hadn’t slapped him that hard. “There, I got my revenge. Let’s get out of here, we have a hospital to go to and a—”_

“Theeeoooo…” _The Glowing Tara turned to her Hellish counterpart, face twisted with fury._

_“Would you_ get out of here already? _Shoo!” With a wave of Glowing Tara’s hand, Hellish Tara vanished. “Stupid skinwalkers. No wonder the angels don’t like them.” Taking Theo’s hand, she dragged him into…_

_“The W-Ward? Wait, Tara, what’s going on? You’re dead.” He held her gaze, and she smiled and touched the same cheek she’d slapped a minute before. “I saw you die. They—I stole your heart.”_

_“We’re trying to save an idiot’s life, Theo. And I forgive you.” Taking his hand, she indicated his wrist and added, “But since you’re going to think you owe me, I’m saying that you go get some help with your head and_ your _heart so you can stop this. Then we’ll call it even. Deal?”_

_He stared at her, not missing the fact she’d pointed out her heart was his now. Blinking, he stammered out, “Uh, deal? I guess?”_

_“Good.” She started pulling him along. “Anyways, Mom and I are doing great up in heaven. So is Dad, actually.”_

_“Wait,_ Dad’s _in Heaven?” Pausing, he shook his head. “No, there is no Heaven. There’s nothing after death. I’m an atheist, Tara, you can’t—”_

_“See, you say you’re an atheist, yet you keep praying for God to kill you.” When he stared at her again, she added, “Thomas says hi, by the way.”_

_“What, like—”_

_“Like the disciple, yes. Now come on, we have an idiot to save.”_

_“Okay, Tara._ Who _is this idiot?” Doors opened at the end of the hallway and he caught a glimpse of his body being rushed by on a gurney. The tightness in his chest returned, and Tara held his gaze almost sadly._

“You.”

~

He wasn’t sure how long it was until he woke up, only that someone was gently massaging his palm.

Slowly cracking his eyes open, he found Jenna Geyer-Dunbar sitting beside him. She smiled at him, and he weakly returned it. As he did, he looked down at himself and then around the room. “Liam?”

“At home sleeping. Trying to, at least.” He shifted and winced, spasms working their way through cramped muscles. “Sore?”

“Little bit.” Slowly, he took account of his limbs and the state of his body. There was an oxygen mask on his face, and he had an EKG and even an EEG connected to him. _They really pulled out all the stops, didn’t they?_ “How long--?”

“Nine days, about. It’s four in the morning.” She replied, touching his knee, and he looked around the room. The air was thick with the mingled scents of everyone in the Pack. Even if he hadn’t had full use of his nose, however, he could see signs of the others’ presence—Liam’s hoodie draped over the chair his mother was in. The stuffed dog he’d gotten Alec for his birthday (mostly as a joke) tucked into the crook of his non-IV’d arm. Lydia’s bag had Stiles’ lightest jacket sticking out of it. Scott’s lacrosse stuff was tucked in a corner. Derek and Isaac had both left a pair of shoes behind. Even Malia had left something, albeit one of her knives. When he glanced back at Jenna, his eyes darted to the inside of his wrist. On the inside curve, there was a series of pale scars, uniform and unchanging and purposeful.

When he realised she’d seen him staring, his face flushed with heat. “Sorry, I just—” Self-consciously, he touched his own arm, and she smiled.

“I know. We’ll help. In the meantime, do you want a massage? Lying still like that probably wasn’t very fun.” He stared at her, then shakily nodded. “Alright, lie down. I’m sure Melissa will be by soon, and she can bring you something to eat.”

“O-okay.” A few seconds into her rubbing his shoulders, his eyes were drifting shut. He must have dozed off. When he opened his eyes, Melissa was gently running her fingers through his hair.

“Hey, sweetheart. How do you feel? Up to eating?” Still half-asleep, he nodded.

The next couple of hours passed in a haze. The Pack Moms talked about how he’d be staying with one of them, and how he got to pick when he felt strong enough (but the Pack didn’t know that he got to pick, so there was no pressure). Despite sleeping for about a week and a half, he was exhausted, and napped in between wolfing down something like three six-packs of Jello cups, several grilled cheese sandwiches (courtesy of David Geyer), and two and a half massive jars of trail mix. Part of him knew he’d probably regret it later. The rest of him didn’t care.

When he woke up from his sixth nap in three hours, there was a familiar scent in the room besides Jenna’s and Melissa’s. “I know Corey and Mason are…I know they want to see him, too, but he just woke up, Liam.” Jenna reminded, and Theo’s heart jumped a little at the connection of blue-scented bodywash and mountain rain and pine forest meadows to Liam’s name.

“We just don’t want to overwhelm him.” Liam said something with a soft laugh that actually made Theo’s heart skip a beat. The three laughed, and Melissa added, “I think he can hear you, so he’s waking up. Be gentle, Liam—or else. Now, we’re going to go stop Alec and Derek and the others from stealing all Theo’s snacks.”

“Good luck.” As Theo fought to open his eyes, Liam sat down beside him and took his hand. “Hey, hey, take your time. I’m not leaving.” Theo laced his fingers with Liam’s and held on, praying that what he wanted to say might pass through that weird bond they had. He had a feeling that Tara was smirking at him up in Heaven, but he wasn’t sure he cared much right now. “I know, I know, I love you, too.” Another paused passed. Liam sounded like he was blushing when he added, “If this were a rom-com, I’d be kissing you like crazy, but realistically you’re half-dead and I don’t want to incur the wrath of the Pack Moms.”

After a long while—a total of five agonising minutes—Theo cracked his eyes open and squeezed Liam’s hand. “Coward…” When the werewolf met his gaze, he weakly smiled and added, “You’ll just…have to take me…on a date…and do it then.”

His response was a beaming smile so bright it rivalled the sun. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. One at home, yeah?”

“What, with candles and rose petals?” Liam grinned, running his free hand through Theo’s hair, fingers dipping down and blue gaze following the movement. “Hey, my face…is up here.” Talking was ridiculously hard—his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and he could barely get out four words to a breath. Liam didn’t seem to mind.

They smiled at each other. Before Liam could reply, there was a thud on the window. They turned to see the McCall Pack there (even Malia, Stiles, and _Derek_ ), pressed to the glass in an attempt to see. Wrinkling his nose, Theo glanced at Liam, who commented, “That is _so_ unsanitary.”

“Is Alec _licking_ the glass?” Sure enough, the young werewolf was. “That’s disgusting.” Turning to his not-quite boyfriend but definitely-not friend, Theo tilted his head. “Get up here and cuddle with me.”

And so Liam did.

The others could wait a few more hours.

**Author's Note:**

> The actual notes I wrote in the manuscript: Would you believe me if I said I wrote the whole story all on April 14th, 2020? Anyways, tell me what you think/what you like (or dislike, so long as you’re nice)/what TWs I need to add. The final chapter, “Dancing on Cold Feet” should be up soon. 
> 
> Note: You can skip this next bit, it’s pretty much just commentary with no links to where it goes. Some of it probably isn’t even funny. 
> 
> The ones that come from while I was writing and typing this: Yes, I am aware Alec was not around until after Theo reformed, but I’m not about to gloss over the fact that in this fic’s canon he acted like Malia and Stiles, too. Also, Glowing Tara’s character is based off how I think my great-grandmother, so her reaction is how I think she would have acted with me when I was a young queer doubting whether or not I could also keep my faith, so…yeah, it came in a little bit here. (No, I did not kill my great-grandmother, I was three when she died). There could have been more, but I’ll leave what happened with Theo and Tara up to you, just know that she forgave him in the end. Lysa and Ellie are based off of two wonderful young ladies who would be horrified or disgusted to find out they have a pair of lesbians named after them, although they might be complimented to have characters. Their names are really pretty and otherwise they’re nice, so yeah, I picked them. The officers are (not so subtly) based off John Wilkes Booth because I couldn’t think of anyone else at the time, and they actually grabbed him when he was walking from some random grocery store to his truck. He got tackled by Wilkes, Johnson sent the dog in, and Theo literally only shoved the thing away as it tried to maul him. Those three are sort of meant to counter Tanielu, Perry, Sheriff Stilinski, Parrish, and some other unmentioned BHPD officers. Those three got sacked as soon as the sheriff walked in the door later to find a bloodied Theo dangling by his wrists like Alice Paul’s friend Lucy Burns in the movie “Iron Jawed Angels”. Also, Theo’s full name, according to this baby name book my mom gave me, has the meanings “gift of God” (Theodore), “man of peace” (Axel, some translations say it means “father of peace”), and “rest/comfort” (Hebrew meaning of Noah). I don’t know what Raeken means, but I don’t think it’s made up. Also, fun fact about “Doubting” Thomas—if you look at what he does in one of the gospels, I think right before Lazarus gets resurrected (hey, zombies are in the Bible!), he makes this comment that can basically be understood as “Alright, guys, let’s go walk to our deaths in Jerusalem, then”. I think I’d remember it more if my dad hadn’t decided to spray Axe all over the snack bar of our church and then the college guys who left their group for food (which included my brother, which is pretty bold for a pastor’s kid). Also, the “wolfing down” line was originally “scarfing down”, but while typing up my papers I saw my opportunity and took it because it was there. RIP Theo. Also, I cannot tell you the amount of times I have misspelled ‘Liam’ as “Laim’. When I wrote the bit with Alec licking the glass, all I could think was Miles from Spiderverse when he first went to his uncle Aaron’s.


End file.
